THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY
12234
ADULT CAREER AND CONTINUING EDUCATION SERVICES (ACCES)
ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND POLICY
89 WASHINGTON AVE, 460 EBA
ALBANY, NEW YORK 12234
(518) 474-8940; FAX: (518) 486-1751
http://www.acces.nysed.gov/aepp
To:
From:
Date:
Re:
Adult Education Program Managers
Robert Purga, Supervisor of Adult Education
December 2015
NYSED BEST Plus 2.0 Transition
NYSED has been notified by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) that the U.S. Department
of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) has approved the
BEST Plus 2.0, an updated version of the current BEST Plus ESL assessment. All NYSED adult
education funded agencies that report data through the National Reporting System (NRS)
must begin using the new BEST Plus 2.0 on July 1, 2016. This change impacts both the print
based and computer adaptive BEST Plus tests. The current BEST Plus will be discontinued as of
June 30, 2016. Note that there is no change to the BEST Literacy assessment.
In this enhanced version, CAL has updated about 40% of the test items and has new BEST Plus
2.0 NRS score ranges based on results of multiple standard setting studies. This is a welcome
change, as the updated score ranges now better assess lower level ESL students in literacy
programming. A table outlining the score range changes is included on page two of this memo.
NYSED has developed a BEST Plus 2.0 transition plan that all funded ESL programs must
follow, and all questions regarding the plan should be directed to our office. While individuals
may receive communication on BEST 2.0 directly from CAL, only NYSED will provide
agencies with the required assessment procedures and policies.
Pre- and Post-testing
 In the current Fiscal Year 2015-2016 (July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016), the
current BEST Plus test must be used for all pre- and post-testing.
 Starting with Fiscal Year 2016-2017 (July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017), all ESL
students must be pre- and post-tested on the new BEST Plus 2.0 version.
Agencies should make clear to staff that all ESL students enrolled in FY 2016-2017 must be
pre- and post-tested on the BEST Plus 2.0. No post-test scores from FY 2015-2016 will be
carried over in ASISTS as they have been for the past decade. The post-test carry over
practice will resume in FY 2017-2018.
To accommodate agencies that provide ESL services during the summer months, the new BEST
Plus 2.0 will be available as early as May 1, 2016 and can be used to pre-test students that will be
entering literacy programming beginning July 1, 2016. BEST Plus 2.0 scores will not count
until July 1, 2016, but if they are dated between May 1, 2016 and June 30, 2016, they will count
as pre-tests for students in FY 2016-2017. ASISTS will be updated to accept scores from both
BEST versions.
NYSED BEST Plus 2.0 Transition
Page 1 of 2
Ordering
Twice yearly in January and July, NYSED and CAL coordinate a statewide discounted bulk
order for BEST materials. Due to the BEST 2.0 transition, in 2016 there will be additional
considerations for ordering current and new BEST assessments. Since all ESL students in FY
2015-2016 must be post-tested before June 30, 2016 on the current BEST Plus test, agencies
must order sufficient numbers of the current version. However, since BEST Plus scores on the
current version will NOT be carried over into FY 2016-2017, all ESL students in FY 2016-2017
will need pre-tests on the new BEST Plus 2.0. These changes will increase the number of BEST
assessments that need to be ordered. NYSED will guide agencies with these calculations based
on their current student data. Directions for seeking this assistance will be included in the
detailed ordering information that will be released in January 2016.
Training
NYSED certification training for BEST Plus test administration will not be impacted by this
transition. Currently certified test administrators do not need to be retrained since the scoring
rubric is not changing nor the look or feel of the test. NYSED will communicate with NYS
BEST trainers to ensure they have all necessary BEST 2.0 information.
NYSED will be hosting webinars in February and March 2016 to review the transition plan and
to demonstrate how the new BEST Plus 2.0 scores will be recorded in ASISTS. The dates and
times for those webinars will be announced in January through the RAEN centers.
NRS EFLs and BEST Plus Score Ranges
NRS Educational
Functioning Level
Current BEST Plus
Score Range
through JUNE 30, 2016
BEST Plus 2.0
Score Range
as of JULY 1, 2016
Beginning ESL Literacy
88 to 400
88 to 361
Low Beginning ESL
401 to 417
362 to 427
High Beginning ESL
418 to 438
428 to 452
Low Intermediate ESL
439 to 472
453 to 484
High Intermediate ESL
473 to 506
485 to 524
Advanced ESL
507 to 540
525 to 564
Exit criteria from NRS
541 and higher
565 and higher
Copy: Mark Leinung
Rosemary Matt
ACCES Adult Education Regional Staff
RAEN Center Directors
NYSED BEST Plus 2.0 Transition
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